ARE YOU GETTING MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THIS WHOLE IDEA THAT THEY WANT YOU TO BE MORE OF A SALES AND MARKETING PERSON IN ADDITION TO BEING THE BEST PLAYER ON THE TOUR?
KARRIE WEBB
UM, WELL I THINK UH, YOU KNOW, BEING ONE OF THE TOP PLAYERS ON THE TOUR, YOU KNOW, THAT IS ONE OF THE RESPONSIBILITIES. AND UH, JUST LIKE DEALING WITH THE MEDIA, IT'S UM DEFINITELY BEEN ANOTHER LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR ME.
AND UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK I - I GET MORE AND MORE COMFORTABLE WITH IT, THE - THE MORE I DO COMMERCIALS LIKE I DID WITH UH, WITH ANNIKA A COUPLE YEARS AGO.
PETER KESSLER
DO FEEL LIKE YOU GOT UNFAIRLY SINGLED OUT ABOUT THIS? I MEAN, NOBODY EVER SAID ABOUT NICK FALDO, YOU KNOW, 'IF HE ONLY HAD A PERSONALITY, WE WOULD BE MORE INTERESTED IN HIM.' WE WERE INTERESTED IN HIM BECAUSE OF THE QUALITY OF HIS GOLF.
WHEN JACK FIRST CAME OUT, WE DIDN'T KNOW IF HE DID OR DID NOT HAVE A PERSONALITY. WE KNEW ARNOLD HAD ONE, BUT NOBODY SAID ANYTHING. AND NOBODY EVER DEMANDED THAT OF BEN HOGAN.
IS IT REASONABLE FOR THEM TO DEMAND OF YOU TO PUT ON A FACE THAT YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT GONNA BE COMFORTABLE PUTTING ON?
KARRIE WEBB
UM, I THINK UH . YOU KNOW UH, WHAT'S BEING ASKED OF ME IS DEFINITELY NOT MY PERSONALITY. I THINK UM, I THINK PEOPLE THAT KNOW ME OFF THE GOLF COURSE KNOW THAT I DO HAVE A GOOD - GOOD PERSONALITY, A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR, AND I'M - I'M PRETTY LAID BACK.
BUT, YOU KNOW, ON THE GOLF COURSE UM, YOU KNOW, THE FACES THAT YOU SEE OUT THERE, THAT'S JUST THE WAY I KNOW HOW TO GET THE JOB DONE. AND UM, MY FIRST REACTION SOMETIMES WHEN I MAKE A PUTT FOR BIRDIE IS NOT NECESSARILY A BIG CHEESY SMILE.
IT'S 'YES', YOU KNOW, 'GOOD', YOU KNOW, 'I MADE A BIRDIE. LET'S GO TO THE NEXT HOLE'. AND I'M ALREADY THINKING ABOUT THE NEXT HOLE. UM, AND YOU KNOW UM,
HONESTLY, IN THE LAST YEAR UM, IT'S ALWAYS IN THE BACK OF MY MIND. UM, ONCE I MAKE A PUTT, YOU KNOW UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOT TO - GOT TO SMILE, GOT TO SHOW SOME REACTION. AND FOR A WHILE THERE, IT - IT DID - IT DID BOTHER ME A LITTLE BIT.
BUT UM, YOU KNOW, I - I'M JUST GONNA BE MYSELF. AND UH, YOU KNOW UH, ON THE GOLF COURSE I MIGHT NOT BE UM, I MIGHT NOT HAVE THE - THE BIGGEST SMILE ON MY FACE, BUT I'M - I'M ENJOYING MYSELF OUT THERE. AND IF I'M HOLDING THE TROPHY UP ON SUNDAY, YOU'LL SEE A BIG SMILE.
PETER KESSLER
AND DON'T YOU RUN THE RISK, IF YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT CHANGING YOUR GAME FACE, THEN DON'T YOU, IN EFFECT, CHANGE YOUR GAME AS WELL, AND PROBABLY NOT FOR THE BETTER?
KARRIE WEBB
YEAH, I THINK SO. I THINK UM, YOU KNOW, AS I SAID, I THINK UM, THIS IS THE WAY I GOT THE JOB DONE. AND I THINK IF THINGS WEREN'T GOING TOO WELL FOR ME, I'D THINK ABOUT CHANGING IT.
BUT, YOU KNOW UH, THESE PAST FOUR YEARS - FOUR YEARS HAVE BEEN PRETTY GOOD TO ME. SO UH, I THINK I'M GONNA STICK WITH THE WAY THINGS ARE GOING.
PETER KESSLER
LET'S CHECK IN WITH DEBBIE FROM MICHIGAN AND SEE WHAT SHE WANTS TO ASK YOU. GO AHEAD, DEBBIE.
DEBBIE, CALLER FROM MICHIGAN
HI KARRIE. I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS FOR YOU.
KARRIE WEBB
OKAY.
DEBBIE, CALLER FROM MICHIGAN
UH, THE FIRST ONE IS: WHEN YOU GO THROUGH YOUR PRE-SHOT ROUTINE, YOU HAVE UM, SORT OF LIKE UH . WHEN YOU'RE UP TO THE BALL, YOU SORT OF HAVE A HITCH IN YOUR UM, SWING, YOUR BACKSWING,
AND THEN YOU COME FORWARD AND YOU STOP, THEN YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU GO INTO YOUR SWING. DOES THAT SORT OF RELAX YOU?
KARRIE WEBB
UH, DEBBIE, WHAT THAT - THAT STARTED OFF AS WAS UH, MY COACH AND I, UM KELVIN HALLER, BACK UH IN AYR, UH, WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER UM, I - I HAD TROUBLE WITH MY TAKEAWAY.
AND I STILL DO, UH THAT'S WHY I STILL DO IT. BUT UM, YOU KNOW, I WANTED TO GET MY TAKEAWAY BACK ON THE RIGHT PATH. AND UH, AND THAT WAS JUST SOMETHING HITTING BALLS EVERY DAY AND - AND DOING THAT BEFORE I HIT WAS SOMETHING THAT
DEVELOPED INTO WHAT NOW IS PRETTY MUCH A - A SWING TRIGGER. UM, I PRETTY MUCH CAN'T STAND UP TO A BALL ON ANY SHOT AND - AND NOT DO THAT WITHOUT FEELING REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE.
DEBBIE, CALLER FROM MICHIGAN
OKAY. AND ALSO UM, HOW WELL DO YOU GET ALONG WITH ANNIKA? I SEE THAT COMMERCIAL ALL THE TIME AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S A COMMERCIAL AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, DO YOU REALLY GET ALONG WITH UH, ANNIKA AND MOST OF THE OTHER WOMEN?
KARRIE WEBB
OH UM, I THINK UH, I DO GET ALONG WITH ANNIKA. I HAVE THE UTMOST RESPECT FOR HER GAME AND - AND THE PERSON THAT SHE IS. UM, I CAN'T HONESTLY SAY THAT WE DO A LOT OFF THE GOLF COURSE TOGETHER BUT UM, I DO ENJOY GETTING PAIRED WITH HER
JUST BECAUSE OF THE COMPETITOR SHE IS AND - AND THE PERSON SHE IS. UM, I KNOW WHEN I GO OUT THERE AND - AND PLAY HEAD TO HEAD WITH HER THAT I'M GONNA HAVE TO PLAY THE BEST GOLF THAT - THAT I KNOW HOW TO PLAY.
PETER KESSLER
A LOT OF THE GUYS ON THE MEN'S TOUR WILL SAY TO OTHER PLAYERS ON THE TOUR, 'STOP SAYING SUCH GREAT THINGS ABOUT TIGER. STOP SAYING THAT AFTER THE FIRST ROUND WITH HIM IN GOOD SHAPE THAT THE TOURNAMENT'S OVER AND HE'S GOING TO WIN.'
HOW - HOW DOES IT WORK ON THE LPGA TOUR WITH THE FACT THAT YOU'RE CLEARLY DOMINATING, YOU'VE BEEN THE MOST CONSISTENT PLAYER, YOU SEEM TO BE DOING EVERYTHING BETTER THAN EVERYBODY ELSE FROM TEE THROUGH GREEN,
WHAT'S THE SENSE YOU GET FROM THE OTHER PLAYERS ABOUT HOW DOMINANT YOU ARE AND HOW CAREFUL THEY MIGHT BE ABOUT TELLING YOU WHAT THEY THINK OF YOUR GAME?
KARRIE WEBB
(CHUCKLE) WELL, I THINK UM, CAREFUL UH IS THE WORD. I THINK, UH . I DON'T - I GUESS I JUST DON'T GET INVOLVED IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE. UM, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT UM, MOST OF THE GIRLS, PROBABLY ALL THE GIRLS, HAVE A LOT OF RESPECT UM FOR MY GAME OUT THERE.
AND UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S - THAT'S ALWAYS A GREAT FEELING THAT UM, PEOPLE HAVE RESPECT FOR - FOR YOUR GAME. THEY KNOW YOU CAN PLAY WELL AND ARE PLAYING WELL.
AND UH, YOU KNOW, I JUST - I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER REALLY UM, YOU KNOW, SAT AND TALKED TO THEM OR . I - I TEND TO BE PRETTY SHY WHEN I GET COMPLIMENTS SO I'D RATHER TEND TO - TO UM,
HEAR THEM BUT NOT HAVE ANY RESPONSE TO THEM. I MEAN, I DO APPRECIATE THEM BUT UM, YOU KNOW, I - I THINK UH, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN GET TOO FULL OF YOURSELF A LITTLE - SOME - SOMETIMES. ESPECIALLY WITH THIS GAME, IT CAN CREEP UP ON YOU. AND THE MORE YOU THINK THAT YOU NEED TO IMPROVE UH, THE BETTER YOU ARE.
PETER KESSLER
WELL, IF YOU START TO THINK THAT YOU'RE TOO GREAT, YOU JUST HANG OUT WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND THEY BRING YOU RIGHT BACK DOWN TO EARTH, RIGHT?
KARRIE WEBB
RIGHT.
PETER KESSLER
WE'LL TAKE A LITTLE BREAK. WE'LL COME BACK AND WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT THAT GOLF SWING AND THAT PUTTING STROKE IN JUST A MOMENT.
(KARRIE ON THE COVER OF LPGA MEDIA GUIDE 2000 SHOWN)
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